Why Is Zelle A Red Flag?

Mwag60 · Jul 11, 2022

I'm new to this forum and am being told that asking for payment through Zelle in the For Sale forum is a red flag. I don't understand the resistance to it as it is a very secure, convenient method of payment.

1. Buyer doesn't need to go somewhere to buy it.
2. Seller doesn't need to go somewhere to cash it.
3. It's a verified bank-to-bank transfer.
4. There are no documents that could potentially be fraudulent.
5. The transfer is almost instantaneous, so shipping is faster.

I'd like to know the reasons why members are against using it.

Thanks for your feedback.

Sevens · Jul 11, 2022

Zelle is phenomenal if you KNOW the other party or if you are willing to trust them as if you know them.

Zelle is 100% non-reversible, there is no recourse, NONE.

Zelle is fantastic for the recipient, but only good for the buyer if he knows/trusts the seller.

I would not Zelle money to a seller with 6 posts on this forum and you’re off in lala-land if you can’t understand that.

Rustyt1953 · Jul 11, 2022

I did a search and this was the first return.

quikdraw67 · Jul 11, 2022

Since PP is not a gun friendly platform, I could see where Zelle would be considered an option.

However, there is no recourse if there is a problem, as Sevens points out. So there is that.

When I buy or sell on the Forum, I prefer a US Postal Money Order. I'll take a personal check with the understanding that the item won't ship until the check clears. With payment by USPS M.O. the item ships the next day.

Never had a problem with that.

JMHO YMMV.

M29since14 · Jul 11, 2022

Mwag60 said:
…I'd like to know the reasons why members are against using it.

Thanks for your feedback.

I can’t speak for everyone, but for myself, I like writing paper checks to pay for things. I specifically dislike using electronic devices for ANYTHING to do with debit transactions that essentially have no “recourse.” That’s what credit cards are for, IMO.

I am perfectly happy with these methods, and if they can’t be used, I guess I just don’t need whatever the vendor is selling.

ladder13 · Jul 11, 2022

More than a few members here, and likely some who are too embarrassed to admit so, have been scammed out of a few to many $$$’s.

Please understand the reluctance of folks to do business with a newcomer asking, right out of the box, for an electronic transfer, or even a paper sale.

FWIW, that’s nice gun. GLWTS.

Mwag60 · Jul 11, 2022

Thanks for feedback

I get what you guys are saying. I was looking at it from a security standpoint alone, not having to worry about fraud. That being said, I did sell the gun and am accepting a USPO MO.

Tom S. · Jul 11, 2022

Zelle is the electronic equivalent of sticking cash in an envelope and hoping the person getting the envelope is honest. As pointed out, it offers zero protection for the buyer, only the seller.

Dougaz · Jul 11, 2022

What the heck is a "Zelle"

Tom S. · Jul 11, 2022

Dougaz said:
What the heck is a "Zelle"

The other half of a "Ga".

Krogen · Jul 11, 2022

I think the real red flag is associated with scam sites that only accept Zelle or Venmo. It's not really about forum members making agreements here on a virtual handshake.

Not that these payment methods are inherently evil, it's that they're irreversible. If a site is unwilling to accept a credit card which offers protection against fraud, then that can be a telltale sign. You may well be dealing with a scam site.

Sevens · Jul 11, 2022

Using Zelle and the S&W Forum, I have purchased two handguns AND a Silver Contributor membership!

handejector · Jul 12, 2022

quikdraw67 said:
Since PP is not a gun friendly platform,

Why do people keep saying that?
For about 13 years, PP has handled donations for this gun form.
Look at ebay, and you buy a few million gun parts and gun accessories using PP.

Paypal doesn't do gun, ammo, or hi-cap magazine transactions. They simply don't want to expose their money to lawsuits that will be brought in this tort-crazy society if somebody gets shot with a gun or ammo that they handled the transaction for.
Think about that for a minute- if you were worth, let's say a modest $100 million, would you sell a gun on this forum and expose that wealth to the liability of a lawsuit that you would probably lose in this anti-gun society? I would not.

How much did PayPal make in 2021?

BLUEDOT37 · Jul 12, 2022

quikdraw67 said:
I'll take a personal check with the understanding that the item won't ship until the check clears.

Correct me if I'm wrong,

The person who wrote the check knows when it clears. You only know you deposited it & the bank gave you credit for it (because you had funds to cover it).

Exactly when that paper check actually clears at the originating bank varies. One, two, three days or more? (My bank didn't give me a reassuring answer.)

You only know if it does not clear & your bank withdraws the previous credit at some point down the line.

So how do you, as the recipient, know it cleared unless your bank had put a hold on those funds, until they get paid, & then releases the funds to you?

.

Onomea · Jul 12, 2022

My BOA checking account, online, shows "Processing" when a check is first deposited. When it clears, the "processing" annotation disappears.

quikdraw67 · Jul 12, 2022

BLUEDOT37 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong,

The person who wrote the check knows when it clears. You only know you deposited it & the bank gave you credit for it (because you had funds to cover it).

Exactly when that paper check actually clears at the originating bank varies. One, two, three days or more? (My bank didn't give me a reassuring answer.)

You only know if it does not clear & your bank withdraws the previous credit at some point down the line.

So how do you, as the recipient, know it cleared unless your bank had put a hold on those funds, until they get paid, & then releases the funds to you?

.

Online banking is your friend.

quikdraw67 · Jul 12, 2022

handejector said:
Why do people keep saying that?
For about 13 years, PP has handled donations for this gun form.
Look at ebay, and you buy a few million gun parts and gun accessories using PP.

Paypal doesn't do gun, ammo, or hi-cap magazine transactions. They simply don't want to expose their money to lawsuits that will be brought in this tort-crazy society if somebody gets shot with a gun or ammo that they handled the transaction for.
Think about that for a minute- if you were worth, let's say a modest $100 million, would you sell a gun on this forum and expose that wealth to the liability of a lawsuit that you would probably lose in this anti-gun society? I would not.
How much did PayPal make in 2021?

Point taken.

I was referring to gun purchases.

I use PP on Ebay for gun parts as well.

DWalt · Jul 12, 2022

I believe that starting this year, PP and eBay will report your aggregate sales over $600 per year to IRS as taxable income on a Form 1099. I don’t know if Zelle, etc. does that also.

Sevens · Jul 12, 2022

(raises his hand!)
I’ll be your test monkey for the “I loathe the rabidly anti-gun Paypal!”

At this point, they hold the A#1 Grand Champion slot for virtue signaling when it comes to *gasp* “scary guns and we refuse to be a part of it!”

When they suspect, proof be damned, they will freeze your account and you’ll sit for however long it takes. And these are for 100% legal, above board transactions by law abiding citizens.

They also charge for use of their service unless you blatantly lie to them and claim it’s “friends and family.”

If Paypal doesn’t hate/fear/oppose the S&W Forum, it’s only because they haven’t gotten around to it yet. And yes, certainly I fear that other massive corporations and conglomerates may do the same thing, you bet I do, but Paypal was the early King Daddy of the virtue-signaling gun haters and they can continue to get bigger, richer and more bloated without my support.

For anyone who isn’t aware, Paypal owns Venmo, so I have no interest in using Venmo either.

CLMN · Jul 12, 2022

From MidwayUSA...

Why Is Zelle A Red Flag?

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